Toy crane and attachments



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Oct. 24, 1944,

Patented Oct. 24, 1944 UNI TED STATES PATENT OF Fl C E TOY CRANE AND ATTACHMENTS Charles E. Williams, Iiogan, Iowa Application June 12, 1943, Serial No. 490,665

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a toy crane and attachments and has for an object to provide atoy which may be readily transformed by a child to serve several different purposes, such for example, as a hammer of the pile driver type, an excavator of the clam bucket type, a dirt hauler of the drag bucket type, the basic parts of the toy'being mounted on a portable caterpillar tractor supporting frame which carries the various operating cables, control levers, and an electric motor for operating the cables.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which will be formed of a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily et out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consistsof certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modificationsmay be resorted to within the scope [of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure l .is a side elevation of a toy constructed in accordance with the invention showing the use thereof as an excavator of the clam bucket type.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the toy shown in Figure 1. I

Figure 3 is a front elevation .of the toy shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a hammer attachment for the toy, of the pile driver type.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the hammer attachment.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the hammer attachment taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a side elevation of a drag bucket attachment.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the drag bucket attachment.

Figure 9 is a front elevation of the drag bucket attachment.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, I8 designates a caterpillar tractor chassis having longitudinal wheel carrying side members II each equipped with preferably three transverse axles I2. The axles are provided, inside and outside of the respective side member II, with small wheels I3, see Figure 2. Each side member II i equipped at the ends with axles I 4 which are provided, inside and outside gaged through the block I1 and chassis.

of the member, with large wheels I5. Wide caterpillar treads I6 are looped over the large wheels, and have the lower horizontal portions disposed underneath the small wheels, of the side members I I, see Figure 1.

A turntable base block I1 is disposed on the caterpillar chassis I0 and a pivot pin I8 is en- Wear washers I9 are sleeved on the pivot pin on top of the block I! and a grease washer 20 is disposed between the wear washers. A platform 2| is supported upon the upper wear washer and is secured thereto by a nut 22 threadedly engaged on the pivot pin and bearing against the top face of the platform. The platform may be manually turned through an arc of 360 degree on the turntable.

A boom is pivotally supported on the front end of the platform. The boom comprises spaced side members 23 which are connected together at the upperends by a cap member 24. At the lower ends the side members 23 are fixed to a roller 25, see Figure 3. The roller extend across the entire front of the platform and is provided at the ends withgudgeons '26 which are journaled in extensions 21 which project from the front corners of the platform.

The cap member 24 is equipped in front of the side members 23 with a shaft 28 upon which a pair of grooved idle pulleys 29 is mounted. The cap member is equipped in rear of the side members with a shaft 30 which extends beyond the sides of the cap member and is equipped at the ends with grooved idle pulleys 3|, see Figure 2. The shaft 33 is used to rock the boom upwardly and downwardly while the shaft 28 is used to Support. a clam bucket 32, as will now be described.

A pair of posts 33 are secured to the platform 2I and are connected together at the upper ends by a transverse shaft 34. A pair of sheaves 35 are secured to the front sides of the upper ends of the posts. A cable 36 is connected at one end to the top of one of the posts by a pin 31, see Figures 1 and 2. The cable is trained forwardly around one of the grooved pu1leys.3 I, then is trained back over the sheave 35 on the same side of the device, then is trained transversely across to and around the other sheave 35 and thence is trained forwardly and around the companion grooved pulley 3I, thence is trained transversely across and around a pulley 38 on the shaft 34, and thence is trained downwardly and coiled upon a shaft 39 which is journaled at the ends in bearing blocks 40 which are secured to the underneath side of the platform 2I. A crank handle 4| is swivelly mounted in the rear end of the shaft 39 and may be manually turned to wind up the cable 36 on the shaft 39 or pay off the cable on the shaft to correspondingly raise or lower the boom.

For raising and lowering the clam bucket a hoist cable 42, see Figure 2, is trained over one of the grooved pulleys 29 on the boomand is connected to the pivot shaft 43 which connects the two halves of the bucket. The hoist cable is wound upon a driven shaft 44 which is journaled in bearings 45 mounted upon spaced parallel bars 46 which extend longitudinally upon the platform 2| When the shaft 44 is rotated in one direction the bucket will be raised and when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction the bucket will be lowered. Opening and closing of the halves of the bucket is controlled by a control cable 41. The control cable is trained over the other grooved pulley 29 of the boom and is connected to a transversely disposed rod 48 to which the two bails 49 of the bucket are secured, see Figures 1 and 2. The other end of the control table 41 is wound upon a driven shaft 50 wh ch is disposed in alignment with the before mentioned driven shaft 44 and is journaled in one of the bearings 45, and in a second bearing disposed upon the top base of a third control bar 52 disposed on the platform, see Figures 2 and 3. When the bucket control cable 41 is wound upon the driven shaft 50 the bucket will be opened and when the cable is payed off of th shaft the bucket will be closed in the usual manner.

For driving the driven shafts 44 and 50 an electric motor 53 is mounted on the platform 2|. The motor is mounted on a block 54, see Figure 1, which is pivotally secured at one end to the platform through the medium of a pivot pin 55. A second block 56, see Figure 2, is fixed to the platform underneath the motor and a bolt 51 is engaged through the block 56 and through the block 54. A wing nut 58 is threadedly engaged on the bolt and bears against the free end of the bolt 51. When th wing nut is tightened the wing nut is swung toward the stationary block and performs the function of a belt tightener for a belt 59 which connects the motor shaft pulley 6|] with a large speed reduction gear 6| disposed on one end of a shaft 62 which is J'ournaled in bearin s 53, see Figure .l, disposed on the bars 46 and 5|.

The shaft 62 is provided with spaced grooved pulleys 64 over which, and respective grooved pulleys 65 on the driven shafts 44 and 50, loose belts 66 are trained. These belts are tightened by belt 'ghteners about to be described when it is desired to rotate the pulleys 65 independently of each other for raising or lowering, or opening the clam bucket 32.

Each belt tightener comprises a shaft 51, see Figures 1 and 2, to which angularly disposed crank arms 68 are fixed. The shaft is journaled in respective bearings 69 disposed upon the bars 46. A crank arm extends downwardly from the shaft and is connected to a respective rod II which extends toward the rear end of the platform 2| and is connected to the lower end of an operating lever 12 which is pivoted as shown at 13 to a block 14 d sposed at the rear end of the platform. When either one of the levers 12 is pulled rearwardly the respectiv rod II will be shoved forwardly and will rock the crank arm 10 forwardly with resultant rocking of the shaft 61 so that a roller carried by one crank arm 88 presses down upon the upper lap of the loose belt 66 while a roller 16 carried by the other crank arm 68 presses forwardly on the upper lap of the loose belt to form a bight in the belt between the rollers and correspondingly shorten the belt to tighten it upon the respective driven pulley 65 and respective driving pulley 64.

A hammer attachment is provided, and is shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The hammer is of the pile driver type and comprises vertical side bars 11 connected at the upper end by a cross bar 18 and connected at spaced intervals by U- shaped rods 19. A weight is disposed between ends slidably secured to the side bars 11 through the medium of grooves 8| formed in the sides of the weight receiving the inner sides of the bars 11. The weight is provided in the bottom face with a shock plate 82. A guide 83 is disposed between and secured to the side bars 11 near the bottom and is provided with a vertical opening 84 to receive a small stick to be driven into the ground to simulate driving a pile. A shock plate 85 is disposed in the upper end of the opening 84 to receive the impact of the shock plate 82 when the weight is dropped.

The clam bucket 32 is removed when the hammer is to be operated and to accomplish this both cables 42 and 41 are untied from the clam bucket and the hammer is then stood upright in front of the toy and supported at the upper end by the boom. One of the cables is then tied to the cross bar 18 of the hammer and the other cable is then tied to the weight 80. The cable tied to the cross bar holds the hammer stationary while the other cable may be raised and lowered by operating its control lever 12 to lift the weight and then allow the Weight to drop to drive the pile into the ground.

A drag bucket attachment is shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9. To attach the drag bucket the cables 42 and 41 are detached from the clam bucket 32 and one of the cables is tied to the spreader chain 86 of the drag bucket 81. The other cable is attached to the drag chain 88 of the bucket. The bucket is equipped with the conventional cable 89 which runs from a cross bar 90 on the bucket through a sheave 9| which is secured to the spreader cham and then is attached to the drag or held, or released to dumping position.

Since the operation of the parts has been described as the description progressed it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising a caterpillar tractor chassis, a platform mounted to turn about a vertical axis on the chassis, a boom pivotally mounted to swing vertically at the bottom on the front end of the chassis, means for swinging the said boom, a pair of driven shafts on the platform, a pair of pulleys mounted at the top of the boom, a cable wound on each of said shafts and trained over each pulley and adapted for separate operation for actuating an attachment, means for driving said shafts independently of each other for winding up or paying off the respective cables including a motor driven shaft mounted on the platform, a pair of spaced pulleys fixed on the motor driven shaft, a pair of pulleys on the driven shaft, and belts trained over the respective pulleys on the motordrive shaft and the driven shaft.

2. A toy comprising a caterpillar tractor chassis, a platform mounted to turn about a vertical axis on the chassis, a boom pivotally mounted to swing vertically at the bottom on the front end of the chassis, means for swinging the said boom, a pair of driven shafts on the platform, a pair of pulleys mounted at the top of the boom, a cable wound on each 01' said shafts and trained over each pulley and adapted for separate operation for actuating an attachment, means for A driving said shafts independently of each other for winding up or paying ofl. the respective cables,

levers pivoted on the platform, rods connected to the levers, crank arms connected to the forward ends of the rods, a shaft to which the crank arms are connected, angularly disposed crank arms at each end of the last'named shaft, and rollers on the last named crank arm engaged above and below the upper lap of a respective belt, movement of the levers causing the rollers to bend the belt and tighten the belt to drive 10 the respective driven shafts.

CHARLES E. WILLIAMS. 

